Is There a Psychic in the House?
by DTS
Summary: Not long after "Yang 3 in 2D" Shawn is relaxing outside the office when he strikes up a conversation with a pretty young redhead. Then he gets called on a bizarre murder case that just might have to do with aliens.
1. Chapter 1

Shawn sat on the folding beach chair in front of the office basking in the sun, pineapple smoothie on one side and a bowl of Skittles on the other. Things were slow and he was thankful for that as he was still coming to terms with the whole Yin/Yang thing. Yeah, they stopped a notorious serial killer—again—but it opened up a number of questions. The fact that he had met Yang as a kid made him wonder how many other people he had had contact with formed an "unhealthy attachment" to him.

He opened his eyes as a shadow fell across him. Standing over him was a young woman with long red hair. "Hello, can I help you?" Shawn motioned to the other chair set out for Gus.

She smiled. "I know I'm in California when offices have beach chairs outside." She sat and tucked her legs to the side due to her short skirt.

Shawn tried not to stare. He reached for the Skittles and offered her some. She took a handful of the candies and popped them into her mouth. Shawn used the opportunity to observe her and try to place the accent. It was British, he knew that much, but it wasn't Welsh or from London. She did sound a bit like an extra from _Braveheart_. "What brings you all the way from Scotland?"

"The accent gave me away, didn't it?"

Shawn merely shrugged and pointed to the window behind him as he sipped his smoothie.

"That's you? You're a psychic?"

He held out his hand. "Shawn Spencer."

"Amy Pond." She shook his hand. "So what exactly does a psychic detective do?"

"I solve crimes through visions and divining. I've got a very high solve rate. Batting 1000."

Amy stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Don't get the baseball jargon, hunh? Perfect record. I did have one get away but I finally got him. You never said what brought you here, Amy."

"No, I didn't. Can't you 'divine' it?" she asked with a smile.

"Can't use it all the time, gotta save it for a case. Besides, I'd like to hear it from you." He grinned.

"I'm travelling with a friend, but he's into science, you know. Real geeky stuff, so he went off to look at some exhibit or other. I was not about to spend my first day in California inside."

"Yeah, I feel sorry for people who have to be inside all day. Your friend gonna meet you here?"

"That was the plan, but he gets sidetracked so easily."

Shawn heard a bell ring. "Hey, you want ice cream? My treat."

"I hardly know you."

"Ah, but you've already accepted candy from a stranger." He stood and held out his hand to help her up.

"Can't argue that logic." She smiled and took his hand.

"Great! Let me put these inside. Gus will never let me hear the end of it if they get swiped." He folded the chairs, opened the door to the office and slipped them inside.

"Gus?"

"My best friend." He closed the door. "C'mon." He headed down the stairs toward the pier. She laughed and followed.

Just as they reached the ice cream guy, Shawn's phone rang. "Hello. Yeah, Chief. I can be there in ten minutes." He ended the call.

Amy was looking at him. "Business?"

"Yeah. It seems I've got a case."

"Oh."

Shawn knew he was going to get grief for this, but he couldn't help it. "You wanna come along?"

Amy's face lit up. "Really? Are you sure it's okay?"

"I'll come up with something."

They headed back to the office and Amy followed him inside. He grabbed his keys off the desk and picked up his helmet—his only helmet. Shawn gave it to Amy. "You're gonna need it more than me." He looked her over then went across the office to the lockers. He opened one and pulled out a clean pair of sweatpants. "I think you'll be more comfortable with these."

Amy set the helmet on his desk before taking the pants from him and slipping them on under her skirt. "Thanks. Now I won't have to worry about giving everyone a show." She reached for the helmet but picked up a rubber band instead and used it to tie her hair back. She then picked up the helmet. "Ready."

"Okay then." Shawn grabbed his jacket and they were out the door—which he remembered to lock.

He climbed onto the Norton and Amy straddled it behind him, arms wrapped around his waist. "Let's ride!" she shouted and he put the bike into gear and they hit the streets on their way to the address the Chief gave him.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy clung to Shawn as they whipped through the streets of Santa Barbara. She knew to keep her mouth shut as they moved so she wouldn't swallow any flies. Whenever they came to a stoplight, she'd lean back and look around, seeing people going about with their regular day. She loved that people were the same no matter where or when. Then the light would change and she'd be holding on to Shawn again.

Amy didn't know what to make of the man. He was about ten years older yet seemed to have a quality that made him seem ten years younger. He was cute and funny and being with him kept her from being by herself. As for him being psychic well, he really hadn't done anything to prove it. After travelling with the Doctor, she knew it was possible, so she'd keep an open mind.

She knew they were at the right place when she saw the police cars. Shawn parked the motorcycle and helped her off. He got off himself and opened a pouch. With a grin, Amy stripped off the pants and put them inside. After all, it just wouldn't do to show up wearing oversized sweatpants under her outfit.

Shawn then led the way as they ducked under the crime scene tape that stretched across the base of the porch stairs. _It really says Do Not Cross!_ A tall officer stood at the front door. He smiled when he saw the psychic . "Hey, Shawn!" He spotted Amy. "Where's Gus?"

"Couldn't get out of his second job. This is Amy, a student at UCSB."

"Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Buzz."

"Pleasure." Amy shook his offered hand.

"Shawn, word of warning. Lassiter's in a mood today."

"Thanks for the heads up, Buzz." Shawn motioned for Amy to follow him inside.

"Is his name really Buzz?" she asked once they were inside.

"That's what he used at his wedding."

Amy followed Shawn upstairs to the master bedroom where a tall man with short salt-and-pepper hair was yelling at the other police in the room. She had a feeling this was the Lassiter Buzz had warned them about. There was also a younger blonde with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. _Probably his partner_.

Lassiter turned and saw them. "Spencer, what did I tell you about bringing dates to a crime scene?"

Amy noticed the blonde wince slightly at the word "date" . _Ooh, she must like him_.

"Lassie, this is Amy Pond. She s at UCSB studying..."

"Criminolgy. We're studying alternative methods of investigation at the moment and I was asking Mr. Spencer a few questions."

"She was with me when the Chief called so I invited her along. Hey, Jules."

_Oh, so the feeling s mutual._ She smiled.

Amy moved to follow Shawn as he went to the opposite side of the bed where the police were standing. She didn t really want to see the body, but she d have to for the story.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lassiter demanded.

"I was-"

"I don't think so. It's bad enough having him around. You just stand there and don't touch anything!"

Amy saluted him behind his back and saw Jules cover her mouth to hide a smile. She then watched as Shawn walked around the room, looking at everything and stopping shy of touching anything. He then ducked out of sight behind the bed and she could only guess he was studying the body. When he stood, his face was the most serious she had seen it.

"What is it, Shawn?" questioned Jules. "Do you know how he was killed?"

"It's all very vague but I believe it has to do with work. It's something science-y." He tried to clarify. "Something to do with energy." He put his fingertips to his head. "I'm not sure, everything's scrambled." He hurried from the room.

The detectives faces told Amy this wasn t usual behavior. "I'd better go see how he is," she said as she left the room.

She found Shawn downstairs searching the man's office. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Don't they have to catalog everything, take photographs and stuff?"

"Forensics has already been in here but they never seem to catch the important stuff." He sat in the desk chair.

Amy saw a pamphlet that had been knocked to the floor. "What's this?" She picked it up and showed him.

"It's for the local museum and he's circled one of the exhibits."

"Space rocks." She looked at Shawn. "That's the one my friend's gone to."

"Well, I think it's time you crazy kids got back together. C'mon." He headed outside to the motorcycle.

Amy followed, not bothering to correct Shawn about the Doctor being a kid, 'cause, well, sometimes he was.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a good thing Shawn could put himself on automatic pilot as he drove to the museum. He didn t even feel Amy s arms around him which had been quite enjoyable on the way to the house. But now, he couldn't stop the ideas that had begun to flood his mind the moment he had knelt beside the body. The concave aspect of the body below the ribcage was familiar, something the regular police wouldn't believe. He had them barely believing he was psychic; an alien with a death ray would be pushing it. He still had Gwen's number-Jack's too-but he wanted to try and solve this without Torchwood's help if he could.

He pulled into the museum parking lot and he and Amy repeated the dismount procedure. He tried to rustle up some cheer. "Okay, let s go," he said with a big grin as he headed for the main door.

"This is your museum?" Amy looked at the building. "It's rather small, don't you think?"

"It's a small town." He held the door open for her and waved to Chris at the Admissions desk. "Hey, dude. We're looking for the space rocks."

"Sure, Shawn." Chris pointed to the large banner hanging from an archway. "Right through there. The way's marked."

"Cool. C'mon, Amy."

"Don't you have to pay?"

"Not me. Free pass whenever I want, which, I admit, isn't too often."

"Why?"

"Not really one for museums, looking at dead stuff."

"No, why do you have a free pass?"

"I helped solve a problem with a mummy."

"A mummy."

"Yeah, they thought it was stolen, but a guy hid it so he could take its place to steal back some evidence that had been donated by his father." He looked at her and smiled. "No big deal."

He heard the exhibit before they got there. Well, at least he heard some guy lecturing about it. The voice was English and very enthusiastic. "Wow, he really seems to know his stuff. Gus would be so jealous!"

He stopped at the opening and saw that the lecturer was actually pretty young-mid-20s with great hair-wearing a tweed jacket, white shirt, black pants held up by red suspenders, black boots and a red bowtie-really, who wears those? Not at all what he expected. Shawn looked over at Amy and saw a wide smile. "That's your friend?"

"Yep." She popped the p .

The man saw them and grinned. "Pond! What are you doing here?" He walked over to them. "And you've brought a friend." He pumped Shawn's hand. "Have we met? You look familiar. I'm usually pretty good with faces. Complete rubbish with names. I know I've seen you recently."

Shawn couldn't believe he found someone that was more wired and hyper than he was. This guy was bonkers.

"Wait! I know now!" He ran down the hall and stopped in front of the T-Rex fossil he and Gus had found. "You're Shawn Spencer, Psychic Paleo-Sleuth! This is a beautiful specimen. You have to tell me how you found it."

While the man looked at the fossil, Shawn looked at Amy. "Is he like this all the time?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Do you think he'll help with the case?"

"Oh, he loves to help out, the Doctor."

Shawn looked at the man in front of him currently gushing over bones. There was no way this was the same guy Alan and Jack had talked about. He had expected someone older, at least his dad's age. How could he find out for sure? "Amy says you're into all this science stuff. Are you a doctor or something?"

"Or something." The man smiled like he knew something the rest of the world had to figure out-which was probably true.

"Quit that!" Amy slapped him on the arm. "Shawn's investigating a murder and the man had a pamphlet for the museum, that exhibit circled."

"Ooh, a mystery. I would guess he was the man who was supposed to give the lecture. I stepped in when he didn t show."

"Of course you did," said Shawn. _Here goes_. "Is that like the time you stepped in with Queen Victoria and the werewolf?"

"Totally different circumstances." The Doctor wheeled around. "How do you know about that anyway? And don't give me that psychic drivel."

Shawn could now see how this man could be the Doctor. There was a definite steely glint in his eyes. "We have mutual friends." Shawn stayed casual as he met the Doctor s gaze.

"Oh, really? Who? I have so many."

"Col. Alan Kelly and Capt.-"

"Jack Harkness. I should've known. You'll have to tell me about that meeting, but not now." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, tell me about this murder."

"I don't think it was a regular murder and they'll just laugh it off when I tell them what I really think," Shawn told the Doctor as they walked back to the exhibit.

"There's such a thing as a 'regular murder'?" asked Amy.

"The body...I've only see one like that a couple years back in Cardiff. I thought it was a one-in-a-lifetime thing, you know? To see another..."

"You were in Cardiff?" Amy wanted to know.

"That's when you met Jack. So you think this man was killed the same way and it's got you scared," the Doctor stated.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'scared'." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I would. Just don't repeat that."

"What have I missed here?" Amy looked between the two of them. "Why would you be scared?"

Shawn swallowed. "The body in Cardiff was killed with alien tech."

"So you think this is the same?"

Shawn nodded.

"Oh."


	4. Chapter 4

Amy knew that if she were an alien, she would have chosen to come to the sunny climes of California over rainy England any day. But what was the reason for their presence? Was it by choice or were they stranded? Well, whatever the reason, she knew the Doctor would fix things.

Shawn had surprised her with that confession. Yes, he had been unnerved at the crime scene, but for a man to actually admit they were scared, it had to be a big deal. She also wanted the happy, fun-loving Sawn to come back because that seemed to be the "real" Shawn.

She looked at the two men and saw that the Doctor liked him immediately, despite the surprise that the detective had already known about him. They both seemed to have magpie minds, distracted easily by anything shiny. It would be quite a job, keeping both on track.

They reached the exhibit and Shawn began to look around like he had at the house. That could be how he was "psychic"; he had one of those photographic memories and was just very good at deductive reasoning. She couldn't understand why the police hadn't cottoned on yet—or maybe they just didn't want to.

"There's got to be something about this stuff that caused a man to be murdered." Shawn stared through the Plexiglass. "They all look the same to me. I'll have to bring Gus by to look at this stuff."

"Who's Gus?" the Doctor asked. "A geologist?"

"His best friend," Amy answered. "A bit of a science geek."

"More than a bit."

The Doctor was paying particular attention to a group of speckled stones. "These are out of place. Right now, I can't figure out why." He groaned and smacked his head. "Too much stuff in here!"

"Let's head back to my office. I don't want to be here when Lassie and Jules show up." He looked at his watch. "Which will probably be soon."

"Lassie and Jules?" The Doctor looked to Amy.

"The detectives on the case. She's his girlfriend," she answered, swaying side-to-side.

"No, she's not."

"Oh, come one. I know the way you looked at each other. Don't need to be a psychic to see that."

"She's a detective, you're a consultant. No fraternization is my guess." The Doctor looked at Shawn knowingly.

"My own fault, really. When I first started, Lassie was dating his partner and I outed them. She transferred out, Jules transferred in. Now that we're finally together after five years, we can't tell anyone at the station."

"Five years?" Well, she wasn't one to talk, having known Rory practically her whole life.

"I'd ask her out but she never took me seriously. The night I went on my first date with a high school crush, Jules told me how she felt. Not long after Abigail and I broke up, Jules had a new boyfriend; a rich handsome boyfriend who bought a hotel on the Amalfi coast for her. She left him for me."

"Now that's love."

"Right. I'm as romantic as the next guy, but I thought you said we had to leave."

Amy scoffed at that remark. Not the romantic part because the Doctor was, kinda, but at the "as the next guy" part. The Doctor was nowhere as anything as the next guy.

"Um, I don't have room for both of you on the bike."

Amy grinned. _He's fishing for a ride in the TARDIS._

"No problem, I've got transport outside." The Doctor strode towards the exit.

Amy and Shawn quickened their pace to keep up. She was now seeing the hyper five-year old Shawn as he plied her non-stop with questions about the TARDIS. Those military friends of the Doctor didn't keep many secrets. It sounded like he knew more about the ship that she did and he hadn't even been in it!

Outside, Amy told him to grab his bike and Shawn ran over and wheeled it back to where she was standing. "C'mon, this way." Amy led Shawn around to the side of the building where the TARDIS was waiting.

"This is so cool! Alan and Jack weren't lying!" He moved ahead. The front tire of the bike pushed the door open. "Holy…"

Amy laughed and followed Shawn inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Shawn stood just inside the door. How could something that looked like a port-a-potty hold a room like the same size as his dad's place? Amy pushed him from behind and he moved to the side and took care of the Norton. He then climbed up the couple of steps to a platform on which saw a multi-sided console thing.

The Doctor was fiddling at the controls, moving from one panel to another. "Shawn, what's the address? Never mind, I know."

It was a good thing because his mind was on overload trying to take it all in. Shawn really had not reference for comparison. It looked like some repair shop exploded and every bit and bob was used. One part even looked like an old typewriter. "Dude, this is just…amazing."

"Did he just call me 'dude'?"

"It's a good thing," Amy informed him

The Doctor smiled. "I like it. Makes me one of the guys." He looked at Shawn. "You didn't say 'it's bigger on the inside'. Everyone else does."

"Why state the obvious?" He looked at the hookah pipe thing as it rose and fell. "We're moving?" he asked excitedly. "This is freakin' unbelievable!" He looked at the Doctor. "You go through time and space in this?"

"Anywhere I want," the Doctor agreed.

Shawn realized that the TARDIS was the Doctor's Norton, taking him wherever he felt like going, whenever he felt like going. He'd stop and meet people, stay for a bit, then move on to the next place.

The ship stopped and Amy and the Doctor headed for the door. "Shawn!"

Shawn pulled himself away from the console and headed for the door himself, getting the bike on the way.

The Doctor opened the door and Shawn realized they were in the alley in back of the office. "What, not worth the front door?"

"I didn't want to be too ostentatious. Thought you might want to keep a low profile and not let everyone out there see you appear as if from nowhere." The Doctor locked the TARDIS behind them.

"I don't know, it might enhance my reputation." Shawn reached out the key to unlock the back door when it opened quickly.

"Shawn, where the hell have you been? The Chief and Juliet have been calling all afternoon! They say you walked on of a crime scene. You never do that. Lassiter usually has to have us escorted out." He stopped for a breath and finally realized Shawn wasn't alone. "Who are they?"

"Amy and the Doctor. They're helping me on the case." Shawn pushed past Gus into the office and the two time travelers followed. "I'll admit I was a little unnerved by what I saw and this falls right into the Doctor's area of expertise." He headed for the fridge.

Amy held out her hand. "Amy Pond."

"Burton Guster. You can call me Gus." He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you Gus." She smiled.

Shawn grabbed a dish of perfectly chilled pineapple chunks and returned to the office and sat at his desk. The Doctor was nosing about, taking in everything from the old school lockers to the toys scattered about and ending at the wall of photos and framed articles.

Gus looked at the Doctor and Shawn recognized the expression. It was used on him at least five times a day. "You're really a doctor?"

"Yes, I am. Don't let the hip, cool exterior fool you." The Doctor adjusted his bow-tie.

"I hate to say it, dude, I don't think bow-ties and tweed were ever in," Shawn said around a mouthful of pineapple. He held out the bowl to Amy. She shook her head.

"What field?" Gus asked.

"A little bit of everything." He flopped on the couch, legs on the table. "So, tell me about the murder." He rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah, I want to know too." Gus had his determined face on.

"OK." Shawn closed his eyes and brought the scene back to his mind. "Myron Heidecker was a geologist, once respected but now sneered at. The papers in his office showed that he was on to something _big_ but it made no sense to me. He had a pamphlet for the museum so Amy and I headed there.

"The body was lying between the bed and the outside wall, reversed position. There were no marks on the body, barely signs of a struggle. Below the ribcage, the body was caved-in like there was nothing there." He opened his eyes to see the three of them staring at him. "What?"

"That was amazing," declared Amy.

"You've done better," Gus said from his desk.

"Yeah, I know." Shawn popped another piece of pineapple into his mouth. "I saw the body and not much else. I'll need to convince the Chief I need a second visit."

"Wonderful!" The Doctor clapped his hands together loudly. "It will give me a chance to look over his papers to see what information he found. Most likely, that was the reason he was killed."

"OK, sounds like a plan to me." Shawn wiped his fingers on his jeans before picking up the phone and dialing.

"Plan? What plan?"

Shawn smiled indulgently at his best friend. Gus' inability to follow his train of thought after all this time surprised him. Granted, the train had a tendency for tunnels and narrow cliff edges, but it always arrived at the station.

"Chief Vick."

"Hey, Chief!"

"Mr. Spencer, what happened this afternoon?"

"Yeah, about that. The spirits where a little overwhelmed and I needed to leave. However, I am ready for a second look. I think it'll be better without the body there."

"All right, Mr. Spencer, I'll let them know you're coming. Anything else you can tell me?"

"Um, yeah, I found a specialist at the museum who can check out Heidecker's papers to see what he was researching when he died."

"First a college student and now a geologist?"

"Just trying to increase my fanbase, Chief." Shawn hung up the phone and looked at the Doctor. "We're in. Gus, keys."

"What are we supposed to do?" Gus asked as he tossed the keys.

"See what you can find on Heidecker's background, possible enemies, that kind of stuff."

"You want us to do research?" Amy put her hands on her hips. "I do not plan to spend time in an office staring at a computer screen."

"Take it outside. You know where the chairs are!" Shawn called over his shoulder as he headed for the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

Amy watched as Gus opened his laptop and connected to the internet. She was still fuming at being dismissed like that and she found it hard to see Gus so accepting of it. "Do you always do what he says without argument?" she asked.

"Hardly ever. Most of the time, it's because he's gonna do something stupid. He knows I don't like murder scenes and he gets distracted doing research." Gus looked up at her. "Most people think he just bosses me around and manipulates me, but I know how to handle him, probably better than anyone else-including his dad."

Properly chagrinned, Amy apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I've known you barely an hour and I'm already criticizing."

"Don't worry. Lots of people don't get why I'm friends with Shawn." He typed away. "If you dig around Shawn's desk, you should find his laptop. Though, why he has one is beyond me."

With a smile, Amy went over to Shawn's desk and began to search the drawers for the laptop. The guy had a hodge-podge of stuff crammed into every available space. Under a pile of squeaky toys and action figures she found what she was looking for. Thankfully, Shawn didn t use a password and she was connected in no time.

Amy looked at the connections Heidecker had - universities, museums and other organizations - to see if they could provide a motive for the murder. The majority of his colleagues had turned their backs on him because of his ridiculous theories. It reminded Amy of that one guy on that TV show, something about pyramids. And, if she remembered correctly, that guy was proven right.

"Hunh."

Amy looked at Gus. "What?"

"He sure had some wild theories. The best is that there was another civilized race living on Earth before humans. He thought he found the proof in some rocks in Wales, of all places. When the tests came back negative, he said they were running the wrong ones. He said the same about life on Mars."

"So you think he found his proof and someone killed him to keep it secret?"

"Either that or they wanted the publicity themselves. We had a case like that with astronomers."

Amy looked at the Friends of the Museum page. "Hey, there's a comment here by one of the guys who knew Heidecker. He said he would withhold support and boycott the museum if they kept Heidecker as a speaker. Sounds like a possibility to me."

"Me, too, but Shawn's taken my car and I'm not about to take his bike, especially with a passenger."

"Great. We've got a lead with no way to follow it."

"We could always take a taxi," Gus volunteered.

Amy sighed with frustration. No one since Sherlock Holmes used taxis to solve crimes. If she knew how to drive it and if she knew the way, she'd take Shawn s motorbike herself.

The front door slammed and Amy looked up as an older man strode into the office. He was wearing a suit but still had a nice tan. He was also a little bald. He didn't see her, but went straight for Gus.

"Gus, what is going on? First, Shawn shows up at a crime scene with a _college_ girl and suddenly leaves. Now he's called the Chief _asking permission_ to see it again with a _specialist_? What's gotten into his head this time?"

Amy was amazed that someone talked with that many italics.

"Mr. Spencer, this is Amy Pond. She and her friend, the Doctor, are helping with this case. Amy, this is Henry Spencer, Shawn's dad. He works as a liaison with the police department."

Amy waved. "Hello."

Henry sat in one of the soft chairs in front of the window. "Do you have _any_ idea what he s doing?"

"Not exactly. He said the Doctor was a specialist so they went to the crime scene to see what they could find out about Heidecker s work. Amy and I were doing research and found our own lead."

"And what's that?"

Amy stood and headed for the door. "We'll tell you on the way."


	7. Chapter 7

I'd just like to thank everyone who has reviewed and alerted this story. I'm still working on plot details so things are still moving a little slow. Thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

><p>Shawn drove and smiled as the Doctor waxed on about "sunny California". "I don't know why I haven't been here before. I've been to America before—New York City, Tombstone, Utah, San Francisco and Roswell—but not as much as the UK."<p>

"I can understand the cities and Roswell and Utah's got really cool scenery, but Tombstone? I went through there a few years back. Nothing there for you."

"Not now."

The only time Shawn knew that Tombstone had anything of significance was the OK Corral, and that was only because he got shot in a few re-enactments. The Doctor couldn't have been there then, could he? "So you've been pretty much everywhere, hunh?"

Shawn could feel the Doctor's eyes on him. "Alan asked you if you wanted to travel with him. You turned him down and now you regret the decision."

"At the time, it was the right choice, but if I had the same offer now…"

The Doctor laughed. "You want to travel in the TARDIS."

"Hell, yeah."

"I can't make any promises, Shawn. We'll see how you feel when this is all over."

Shawn thought on the offer. It was probably all he was going to get at the moment, and, if he ever learned anything from _Star Wars_, arguing with a powerful alien was never a good thing. "Sounds fair."

He turned into the driveway and parked behind a familiar car. "Man, what is he doing here?" He stepped out of the car and slammed the door. "The Chief must've called him."

"Called who?" The Doctor got out of the car and followed Shawn to the front door.

"The Head Detective on the case. He, um, lacks some certain social skills."

The front door opened and Lassiter stood there. "My social skills are just fine, Spencer." He looked the Doctor up and down. "You and the Absent Minded Professor better make it quick. I haven't got all day."

"It's sweet that you think you need to help, Lassie, but we're fine."

"After what happened this afternoon, the Chief wanted someone here to keep an eye on you."

"So why not Jules?" Shawn asked as they moved the conversation inside.

"Someone who wouldn't cave to your stupid demands. Hey, you can't be in there without supervision!" Lassie strode into the office.

The Doctor had made himself at home at the desk and was going through papers. "Some very interesting theories here. Some are ridiculously way off base, but some… A little bit longer, he might have had something."

"Enough something to be killed?" asked Shawn.

"Possibly. I think there are some missing papers. I can tell someone went through these without attempting to hid the fact. Police usually organize so everything will remain the way they found it."

"So no evidence. You guys are really good at this."

"This is just the preliminary phase, Lassie. You know you have to gather all the evidence before drawing a conclusion." _Appeal to his police sensibilities, get him on your side._

"You were never one to follow procedure, Spencer. Why try now?"

"I find that just because one doesn't follow procedure does not mean that one doesn't know it," said the Doctor looking up from a file. "I find there are times when a procedure gets in the way. I like to think of them more as…guidelines."

"Yes, guidelines. Perfect word choice." Oh, he was loving the Doctor right now.

"Of course, there are instances where procedures are a must—brain surgery, diffusing a bomb, launching a rocket—not really all that many in the grand scheme of things." He stood and headed for the stairs. "The body was found up here?"

Lassiter's mouth open and closed like a fish and Shawn was tempted to take a picture with his phone.

"Yeah, master bedroom." Shawn followed the Doctor, bumping into Lassiter to break him out of his stupor.

The bedroom looked different without all the cops inside. There were no bloodstains and the furniture had been knocked over, but not as if there were a struggle. Whatever happened, happened quickly.

The Doctor got down on all fours and studied the floor where the body had lain. Shawn was impressed by his thoroughness.

Lassiter stood in the doorway. "What the hell are you up to? I thought you were a specialist."

The Doctor got up up his knees and glared at the detective. "Do you like it when someone criticizes you regarding a job you studied and trained for?"

"No."

When Lassiter looked at him, Shawn shrugged.

The Doctor hopped to his feet. "I think it's time to see the body."


	8. Chapter 8

Amy couldn't believe she was visiting the museum again—and it was her idea! Henry was nice, in a gruff sort of way, letting her have the window and making Gus squeeze in the middle. She could only imagine what kind of father he was to a free spirit like Shawn.

As they sat in his pickup truck, Henry tried to pull information about her past and the Doctor. She kept to the truth as much as she could. She had met the Doctor a couple of years ago. (She couldn't tell them about the first time when she was seven.) He was a very brilliant, thouch eccentric, man who took her on as a travelling companion and assistant. And, no, they weren't involved, she was engaged, thank you. "Shawn came up with the idea of me being a student to get me into the crime scene."

"So you're not a specialist or a student," Henry said for clarification.

"No, but I've picked up a few things." She looked out at the ocean as they drove past. "Why is Shawn pretending to be psychic?"

Gus almost choked on the water he was drinking, but Henry played it a little cooler, grippinf the steering wheel a little tighter. "What makes you say that?"

"I'v met a few real psychics and Shawn is nothing like them. If anyone would be in on his secret, it would be you two." They didn't say anything. "C'mon, you know the truth about me. The least you can do is reciprocate."

She could see Henry thinking it over. Gus would follow his lead. "I guess it's all my fault. Shawn has an eidetic memory and I trained him to use it so he'd become a cop like me. Of course he didn't, just took off after graduating high school. Thing is, he still used what I taught him to call in tips. Five years ago he was collecting his reward money when Lassiter took him in for questioning."

"Why if his information was good?"

"It was too good," said Gus. "They thought he was an accomplice. Shawn, being Shawn, decided to tell them he was psychic to keep from being locked up. Thing is, if they ever find out the truth, he'd be arrested for fraud."

_He takes that risk every day, working with the police even though he might be caught._ Amy had a new appreciation for Shawn.

Henry parked the truck and they wnet into the museum. Amy led the way to the exhibit. There were no more than ten people looking at the rocks. "This is it," she said. "This is what it's all about."

Gus' eyes went wide at the sight. Shawn hadn't been kidding when he said his best friend was a science geek. "This is an amazing collection," he gushed. "Normally, you wouldn't see something like this outside of a major natural history museum."

"It's incomplete," said Henry, standing in front of one of the cases.

Amy and Gus joined him. "They were all full when we were here earlier," she said. "Why would they remove something from the main exhibit?"

"Maybe because of Heidecker," said Gus.

"No, they would have shut down the whole exhibit." Henry looked around. "We need to talk to the curator." He headed off.

Gus followed Henry. "C'mon, Amy."

Amy looked around the exhibit. There was _something_ the Doctor said before that had her wondering. She joined Henry and Gus in the search for the curator. For such a small museum, there were quite a number of rooms. They were directed to the curator's office and found him behind a very cluttered desk. Gus knocked on the open door as Henry strode to the man's desk.

"What?" the man demanded.

Henry showed the man his police ID. "We're here about the exhibit. What did you remove and why?"

The curator gave a long-suffering sigh. "I was told that that particular display was wrong."

"Wrong as in the description was incorrect or wrong as in you shouldn't have it?"

The man looked at Gus. "A little of both. Apparently, they were loaned to the man in question, who, in turn, included them as part of his donation."

"So the man who originally owned them asked for them to be withdrawn." Henry was trying to get things straight, asking yes or no questions.

The curator nodded.

"Was Heidecker either of these men?" Amy wanted to know.

"No, he wasn't. He came in a few days ago to get an advance viewing of the exhibit, you know, so he could work on his lecture. There was something that unnerved him, but he didn't say anything."

"Then how did you know?" asked Henry.

"He just…changed. Got serious all of a sudden."

"Like he saw something he didn't expect?" Gus was good at asking the right questions.

Yeah."

"What are the names of the two men?"

The curator looked to Henry. "Um, Thomas Kershaw and Jason Harris."

"If you remember anything else, call me." Henry pulled out his card and handed it to the man.

"Sure." Odds were, the card would get lost among all the other papers covering the desk.

"Thank you, you've been most helpful," Amy said with a smile as they left.

When they got into the truck, Henry started the engine and pulled into traffic without saying a word.

"Where are we going?"

"To the station. I want to look up these guys to see what connection, if any, they had with Heidecker."


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to everyone alerting and reviewing! Somehow, I missed uploading chapter 8 when I did Livejournal, so you get a double dose today!

* * *

><p>Shawn got behind the wheel of the Blueberry with a promise to Lassie that there would be no stops for food or beverage. Normally, Shawn would have found a loophole to stop for something just to annoy Lassiter, but this time he really wanted to know what was going on with the body. No detours, no silly visions, just solving the case, getting the bad guy.<p>

"Why do you work so closely with the police when every day increases the odds you'll be discovered?"

"I finally have the chance to use my gift and my dad's training. I like it and I'm good at it."

"You could have used it just as well had you joined the poloce."

"Yeah, well, I'm not really good with following orders which is a big thing with the police."

"I believe it is," the Doctor agreed.

"Plus I'd have to start out in a uniform. Me and Gus had to do a crash course at the Academy—verry uncomfortable. Besides, years of wearing a hat would kill my hair. Just look at my dad."

"I haven't met him yet, but I'd like to."

"No, you wouldn't."

"A serious, intrusive moment here. I was feeling confined and held back by my family and I took off. I only went back when forced to. I never had the chance to talk with my family again. Make the best of this time with your dad."

"Moment over?"

"Yeah. Short and sweet, that's me."

Shawn strongly doubted that was the truth. He pulled into the parking lot and found a space a few cars down from Lassie. Before getting out of the car, he turned to his passenger. "I don't think Lassie's gonna be very accepting of any alien theory, so you might want to think about how you phrase it."

"What made you so accepting?" asked the Doctor as he climbed out.

"One tried to kill me in a Cardiff alley." He used the automatic lock as they walked to meet Lassiter at the building's entrance.

"That would do it."

Once inside the building, Lassie led them through the steril hallways to the exam rooms. Shawn had always made a point of being cheerful and lively when he came here because everyone thought they had to be so solemn around the dead. This time, however, he was too deep in thought to bother with jokes.

"Detective. Twice in one day?" The examiner's voice carried through the open door.

"There was somebody else who needed to see the body," Lassiter explained.

"Woody!" Shawn greeted with a genuine smile.

"Shawn, I was expecting you earlier." The coroner wiped his hands on a bleach-white towel. "You're usually so prompt when it comes to a body.

"The spirits were…unnerved by the sight of that body, which is weird, I know, considering. They told me to look for help."

"And who would they send you to for help?" Woody put his hands in his coat pockets.

"That would be me!" The Doctor made an entrance, hands in the air as if to say "look at me". His smile split his face. "Woody, it's been ages."

Woody stared at him. "I'm sorry, you are?"

"Right, I've changed since I saw you. San Diego, July 2007?"

"I can't believe it. Doctor?"

"Now that this exchange of time-wasting is over, show them the body."

It still freaked Shawn out. Heidecker looked like someone had removed his organs. Lassie looked a little green, too, and this was his _third_ time seeing it. The Doctor, however, took to it with ghoulish glee.

Woody pointed out a few things of note—things Shawn had already seen. He then came to the fingertips. "At first I thought they were burned, but there are no other signs."

Woody at the Doctor bent their heads over Heidecker's hands. "It could be from some other sort of burn," mused the Doctor.

Shawn sat on the counter and let the two men examine the body. He knew the Doctor wasn't voicing his theories due to Lassiter's presence. Any attempt to get him to leave would be met by severe stubbornness. He was about to call Jules to have her call Lassie with some fake emergency when the Doctor and Woody straightened. "What's the verdict?"

"Yes, what's your expert opinion?" Lassiter wanted to know.

"Is it like San Diego?"

"Yes, it's like that but not. I've a feeling we'll see another death before this is over."

"You know the killer?" Lassiter pulled his phone from his pocket. "Get me details, I can have men on it in minutes."

"No detective, it's not a killer in the conventional sense," Shawn said in aid of keeping the true culprit from Lassie.

"OK, burned fingertips. Are we looking at radiation poisoning or a viral epidemic?"

"It is a contagion of sorts but I'm not positive of the source. We'll have to isolate his house and work until we find it."

"Right. I'll have officers cordon off both places."

"No sirens." Shawn looked at Lassie, waiting for an argument.

"Good point, Spencer. "Don't want to start a panic." He walked into the hall, phone at his ear.

"He's a bit gullible," commented the Doctor.

"I'd say he's more narrow-minded," Woody added. "Not one for thinking outside the box."

"Yeah, he once thought 'the sea lion' was a French name. God, I had him going on that one."

"OK, Shawn, you and I need to get back to the TARDIS. I'm going to need something to contain…whatever. Then we head back to the museum."

"Sure thing. Gus is probably worried about the Blueberry." He hopped off the counter. "Woody, good to see you, as always. Next time, tell me about San Diego."

The medical examiner mimicked firing a gun. "Sure thing."

The Doctor clapped him on the shoulder. "It was lovely to see you again, Woody. Hopefully, next time won't be like this."

"Considering it's you, I won't hold my breath."

"That's probably smart."

As Shawn and the Doctor walked out, they almost bumped into Lassiter on his way back in. "Where do you think you're going?"

"The Doctor left some equipment at the office, so we're gonna-"

"No way. The Chief wants a briefing from the both of you."

"But, Lassie-"

"Shawn, I think it best we cooperate with the authorities. That way we won't waste time evading them."

Shawn knew the Doctor was right. "Fine. We'll follow you over."

"And have you ditch me at the first opportunity? Unh-unh. My car. Now."


	10. Chapter 10

Amy had a feeling that whatever was going on had to do with those missing rocks. There was no persuading Henry that they should search the building, not without a warrant. Gus' reason was more real; he was not going to go looking for something that could kill him. She let herself be convinced that it was the right move. Knowledge was power, the saying went. If they knew what they were up against, they could stop it.

Henry pulled up in front of the police station. "Gus, get Amy a visitor's pass while I park."

"Okay, Mr. Spencer." Gus opened the door. "Maybe they'll have some cookies or donuts left. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Sounds great, Gus. I could murder a cup of tea." She smiled at her choice of words.

The officer at the desk greeted Gus by name, and, after signing a register, Amy had her pass. Caffeine was next and then they waited at Henry's desk. The blonde from earlier, Shawn's girlfriend, saw them and came over.

"Amy, right? I'm Juliet O'Hara." She held out her hand. "Shawn neglected the introductions."

"They seem to be low on his list of priorities. Amy Pond."

"I didn't realize you were still helping on this case."

"I just got drawn into Shawn's wake. I introduced him to the Doctor and then the two of them promptly left me behind."

"Good thing they did or I wouldn't know what the hell was going on here," said Henry as he joined them.

"I would've filled you in, Pops." Shawn had arrived with a very harassed-looking detective and the Doctor.

"Yeah, when this was over with. You know that's not the way things work, kiddo."

"Yeah, but it's how I work." He leaned conspiratorially towards the Doctor. "See what I said about the hair? Hey, Jules!" He smiled brightly, and, had they been any other couple, they would have kissed. "Sorry about earlier. It was just a little overwhelming and I had to get out of there."

"You can fill me in later."

Amy couldn't believe not one of these cops had picked up on these _blatant _clues.

"Hello, Pond. I see you've been busy."

"Well, Gus and I had to act on our research. Shawn's dad came by and took us to the museum."

The door to the only fully enclosed office opened and an older woman stepped out. "All of you, in here, now."

Lassiter and Juliet went in first followed by Gus. The Doctor nudged Amy and Shawn was shepherded in by Henry. "I need to know what we've learned."

"I've learned that if you drop a raisin into a fresh glass of soda, it'll bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top. Also, the man who invented 7Up was an albino."

"What have you learned about the case, Mr. Spencer?" the Chief said in a long-suffering voice.

Amy raised her hand tentatively. "Gus and I found out that there were other scientists who would boycott the museum if Heidecker spoke there."

"His theories were very left field," Gus supplied.

"A possible motive," the Chief agreed. "Do we have names?"

"The curator gave us a couple," Henry said. "We came here to follow up on them."

"Well, we found out something a little different at the morgue," Lassiter said.

The Chief looked at them expectantly.

"Um, it will sound a little far-fetched, but don't-"

"Shawn, it's okay. I've dealt with police before." The Doctor began to pace. "Now, what happened to Dr. Heidecker was molecular-based. At first I thought it was a sonic weapon or some other sort of highly concentrated energy. I was wrong."

Amy scoffed. She pretended it was a cough when everyone looked at her. She smiled in apology.

"Those could only be accessed by the military or research labs," said Juliet. "All our main suspects are geologists. They wouldn't be able to get their hands on anything like that."

"Right, but not why I dismissed it."

Shawn put a hand to his head. At Henry's face and Gus' rolled eyes, Amy guessed it was time for Shawn to have a "vision".

"The burns on his fingers and hands were due to prolonged exposure."

"We already established that, Spencer."

"Let him speak, Carlton," ordered the Chief.

_Carlton? Really?_

Shawn opened one eye to make sure he still had an audience before closing it again. "Rocks. That's what he handled a lot, being a geo-pet"

"Geologist," Gus corrected.

"Whatever. There were no rocks at his house so we have to get to the museum and find them at the exhibit." He collapsed into a convenient chair as if the experience had drained him.

"Fine. We'll get them to close the exhibit while we run tests."

"Problem there, Karen. Some of the stones are gone."

The Doctor looked at her. "Amy?"

"Yeah, the ones that you commented on before. The curator pulled them because they were arguing over ownership."

"Did he tell you where they were?" the Doctor asked.

"Did you even look for it?" demanded Lassiter.

"He said he didn't know," answered Amy.

"And you believed him. Amateurs."

"That was uncalled for, Carlton," chided Juliet. "They brought us important information."

"I need to pick up my equipment which should help us find the rocks. They should be our top priority."

"Doctor, I thank you for your assistance-" started the Chief.

"But you're too budy following protocol to do the right thing," the Doctor finished, angered. "Come along, Pond."

"Doctor, you said that your explanation was far-fetched," started the Chief.

"Actually, that was me." Shawn raised his hand.

"What did you mean?"

"They're alien."

"Of course they are," declared Lassiter. "They're from space."

"I think he means what it _contains_ is alien," said Gus slowly.

"What a load of-"

"No matter the source, it does need to be contained." The Chief looked at the Doctor. "You get your equipment and I'll put a rush on the warrant for the museum."

"Right, let's go!" Shawn headed out the door, keys in his hand. He looked at Amy and mouthed something.

"Shotgun!" she called.


	11. Chapter 11

Shawn weaved through the traffic back to the office. That feeling he had experienced since he saw the body of Heidecker had disappeared now that he had someone to share the knowledge with. He could relax and be himself—or at least the Shawn Spencer that everyone expected. "How're you doing back there?" He looked into the rearview. Gus looked a little uncomfortable at the tight back seat whereas the Doctor looked like his knees were at his chin.

"As well as can be expected," replied Gus.

"If only it could be bigger on the inside, eh?" teased Amy.

"Pond," the Doctor warned.

Shawn pulled up by the rear access alley as close as he could to the TARDIS, two very blue vehilces side-by-side. "Right, let's go."

"What is a police box doing here?" asked Gus as he got out.

"Trust you to know what that thing looks like," commented Shawn.

The Doctor stretched and walked to the TARDIS. "Shouldn't take too long for me to find what I'm looking for."

"I wouldn't think so," remarked Gus. "That's not much bigger than a closet."

Shawn looked at Amy and smiled. She went in first and Shawn followed and placed himself in the ideal place to see Gus' reaction.

"Shawn, you know I don't like Sardines! You remember in third grade when-" Gus entered the TARDIS and his jaw dropped. "Holy crap, dude."

"I think that's a first," Amy said from a chair by the console.

"But this is amazing! Unbelieveable, but amazing!"

"Well, believe it," said the Doctor as he returned lugging something that looked like a huge piece of Tupperware, tongs and ginourmous rubber gloves.

"Isn't that a little overkill?" Shawn asked.

"Never can be too cautious with something this dangerous." He flipped a lever on the console and set the center column in motion.

"What did you do? What is this?"

"It's a ship," Shawn answered his best friend.

"A ship? A _space_ship?"

Shawn nodded.

"So that means he's…"

"An alien," Amy supplied.

"The second I've seen," Shawn admitted.

"Third, actually." The Doctor leaned against the console.

"Alan?"

"Try again."

Shawn grinned. "Jack."

"Jack." The column stopped and the Doctor picked up his supplies.

Amy caught the gloves before they fell to the floor. "So how do we find them?"

"The sonic screwdriver should be able to locate them from the resonance they give off."

"Resonance?"

"Everything organic gives off some resonance," said Gus. "Space rocks even moreso."

"Exactly, Gus. They'll give off a unique signature. I should've checked the first time we were here."

"In the back of the office?"

"Gus, keep up. We've already moved." Amy followed the Doctor down the steps to the door.

"Moved? Shawn, what's going on?"

"Remember when we wanted to believe in aliens and spaceships? OK, that case with Kessler and the textile company kida tarnished things a bit, but this is the real thing." Shawn guided Gus out of the TARDIS.

"C'mon, you two!" Amy called as she left the exhibition room.

"We're in the museum."

"Yeah."

"We're _in_ the _museum_."

"Gus, you can dwell on it later and ask the Doctor all the geeky questions you want. Right now we need to keep anyone else from dying." He headed after Amy and the Doctor.

It wasn't long before Gus joined him. "How long have you known he was alien?"

"Since the moment I knew he was the Doctor."

"And _why_ did you know that?"

"Gus, I said you could ask questions later." _Where the hell did they go?_

"Alan told you." Gus deduced the truth. "How did he know?"

Shawn knew it was time to let Gus in on the secret he'd kept for over a year. "Because Alan is a time traveler from the future and he's met the Doctor before."

"And were you going to tell me the truth if I hadn't asked?"

"He only confirmed what I guessed, Gus. He's not allowed to tell anyone what he does."

"So what does he do? Is it more _Timecop_ or _Voyagers_?"

Shawn sighed. Gus was not going to drop this until he got an answer he liked. "He told me he's an observer. He's not around to arrest anyone or change things. I'll tell you everything about Alan, the Doctor and what happened in Wales once this is over. So, if you want to hear it, we have to catch up with the Doctor and Amy."

Due to their time in the museum when solving the mummy case—and subsequent visits—Shawn knew all the ins and outs and soon caught up with the Doctor and Amy as they were about to head into the basement.

"About time," said Amy.

"Sorry."

"Remember, do not touch the rocks," the Doctor warned. "We get them away and into the TARDIS before anyone else gets a hold of them."

"Right, like I'm gonna touch killer rocks," murmured Gus so only Shawn could hear.

The Doctor went first followed by Amy. Shawn started after them but Gus pulled him back. "I'm not going last, Shawn. You know the person last in line is the first to buy it."

"This isn't a haunted house, Gus. The same rules don't apply. But if you want me to be the first to be able to escape, I thank you for your sacrifice." He held out his arm to allow Gus to go ahead.

"You know, I think you deserve to go first after all the hard work you've put in."

Shawn smiled. Sometimes Gus was too easily manipulated. They hurried down the stairs to where the Doctor was using some alien tech thing to scan the room. It looked like a cross between a wand and one of those really expensive silver pens. The tip glowed green. "So, what's it say?"

"The rocks are down this way." The Doctor shoved the container into Shawn's hands before continuing into the darkened storeroom.

"Does he always rush off into the dark unknown like this?"

"I think it's all he does," Amy responded. "C'mon. He'll only get in trouble if left alone." She hastened after the Doctor.

"You heard what she said, Gus. We can't let them have all the fun." He dashed after the red head.

Shawn stopped only when he saw the Doctor kneeling beside the body of a man on the floor. He heard Gus gasp in his ear. Even in the dim light, he could see it was the curator and he was still alive. "Well, cross him off the suspect list."


	12. Chapter 12

Amy was used to the Doctor being a bit callous sometimes, but she didn't believe it of Shawn. She looked down at the curator and saw his chest rise slowly. She relaxed. Shawn knew he was alive. "Is he seriously hurt?"

"Don't see any blood, just a nasty bump on the head." The Doctor looked around the room. "My guess is that whoever did this is still down here."

Amy edged a little closer to him. "Are you sure?" she whispered.

"Our friend hasn't been out too long and we didn't see anyone pass us as we cme in." He looked at Shawn. "Is there another way out?"

Shawn closed his eyes and Amy guessed he was remembering the floor plan. "No, just the way we came."

"How are we gonna find him in all this?" She looked at the numerous rows of shelving crowded with artefacts.

"One person could stay here while we flush him out."

"With what?" asked Gus. "I can't think of anything that wouldn't damage the collection."

"Stink bomb." Amy looked at them. "We could make a stink bomb."

"Ooh, I love the way you think," Shawn grinned.

"I hate to say it, but we don't have the necessary items to make even the most rudimentary stink bomb," the Doctor stated.

Shawn turned to his best friend. "Gus, did you have any dairy today?"

"Shawn, you know what dairy does to me."

"Exactly my point."

_He really is a little boy, reverting to bathroom humor._

"You know he can hear everything we say," said the Doctor. "We can't let him know what we're doing?"

Shawn started making weird hand motions like he was playing a demented game of charades. Gus couldn't even decipher what he was trying to say. With a groan of frustration, Shawn walked to the door and stood with his back to it, arms out to his sides, effectively blocking the door. Amy gave him a thumbs up in understanding.

Shawn then reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile. It must not have been getting reception because he slowly turned in a circle holding the phone at different heights. The Doctor then motioned for Shawn to hand over the phone. Shawn placed the green-covered mobile into the Doctor's outstretched palm.

Amy watched as the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the phone before passing it back to a puzzled Shawn. Shawn grinned and texted someone—most likely Juliet—to let them know what was happening.

Amy was not one to wait around for help if there was something she could do. While the men had their heads together by the door, she made her way back along the wall behind some shelves. If she could find out where he was and who he was, this would end a whole lot sooner. She crept along and stopped when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Knowing not to dismiss what she saw, she slowly turned and looked through the collection of small antique appliances. On the other side of the shelf, she saw a young man's profile. _He's my age._ The man turned his head slightly in her direction and Amy held her breath. She closed her eyes in the childish belief that if she couldn't see him, he wouldn't see her. After a few moments, she risked a peek out of one eye and nearly gasped when she got a better look at his face.

As soon as he looked in the other direction, Amy ducked down and hurried back to the others. The Doctor looked at her questioningly. "Pond?" he mouthed.

Amy pulled out her own mobile and typed a message with her trembling fingers and showed the Doctor.


	13. Chapter 13

Shawn looked at the screen on Amy's phone. How had he missed it? In hindsight, he could see everything. His mind began to connect the dots and he knew he had enough to get their quarry to talk.

He heard the door latch behind him and moved out of the way for Jules and Lassie. He put a finger to his lips and showed them Amy's phone. Juliet nodded. Shawn smiled and raised a hand to his head. It was showtime.

"Aahhh! Chris, what are you doing? The police are here now, there's no way out!"

"How long have you known?" the young man's voice echoed back.

"Not until here in the basement," Shawn said honestly. "The spirits have been a bit stingy with this case." He said that last bit for the benefit of the detectives. "But it's all coming together now. You'd always been into astronomy since you were a kid, got a telescope for your…ninth birthday."

"How did you-" Chris sounded interested before he remembered he wasn't supposed to.

"You expanded your hobby to include geology when you learned about meteorites, a bit of the universe here on Earth."

"He's the one who found the rocks!" declared Amy.

Shawn glared at her. "Really?"

"He doesn't like it when people cut in," Gus informed her.

Amy mimed zipping her lip.

"So you started digging in the backyard and then progressed to public land. You accumulated quite the collection but no one would take a teen seriously. You started e-mailing photos to different experts so they could tell you what you had. You did it all with aliases complete with false degrees."

"Thomas Kershaw and Jason Harris!"

"Jules? Don't you know better by now?"

"Sorry," said his beautiful blonde girlfriend.

"Heidecker wrote back to you wanting to help you set up the exhibit in return for letting him examine the rocks for his theory. You got a job here so you could keep an eye on the proceedings. Everything was going well until you discovered that Heidecker was taking credit for the collection, especially those glittery ones. You couldn't have that; it was your young life's work after all."

"This is all because of credit?" Lassie complained. "Scientists are so…petty."

"This from the man who has threatened to kill people for touching his coffee cup," Jules shot back.

"I wouldn't have minded if he shared credit," came Chris' voice, this time a little closer. "But he wanted it all for himself. I threatened to tell the truth but he said he'd deny he even knew who I was. I kept all the emails, but…"

"As they were addressed to your aliases, you had no real proof," the Doctor finished. "What? Everybody else was joining in."

Shawn looked at the Doctor before continuing. "You waited for your moment to get close top Heidecker to get even with him. He didn't know you so you could start up innocent conversations about geology. Heidecker glowed at the prospect of someone coming to him for information. You wainted until the night before the exhibit opened to tell him who you were and what you wanted."

Chris was mere feet away now and he held the stones in his hands. "He was examining them in the hall and I confronted him with the truth about who I was. I quoted his emails and told him that I would petition to have the rocks removed until ownership could be established. He taunted me that no one would believe me. I grabbed for the rocks and they fell to the floor. He picked them up in his bare hand and…"

"You knew he was already a dead man. You had seen it happen before. These rocks absorb life from living things, sucks 'em dry."

"So no murder," stated Juliet.

"It was an accident and there was nothing that could have been done," the Doctor stated.

"There's still lying to police and hindering an investigation." Lassiter took out his cuffs, walked up to Chris and pulled his left hand behind his back

Juliet kept him covered and Mirandized him while the Doctor moved around behind Lassie and Chris to take the rocks and contain them. Chris tossed the last one in the air and Shawn reacted by diving for the thing. The moment his hand closed over the object, he realized what he had done: suicide by alien rock.


	14. Chapter 14

"Shawn!" Amy yelled in near-unison with Juliet. She ran over and crouched beside her new friend.

Lassiter nodded to Juliet as he finished cuffing Chris using a little more force than required. She rushed over. "Shawn, are you okay?" She reached out to touch his face but hesitated.

"It's okay, Detective," said the Doctor as he used the tongs to remove the stone from Shawn's hand. "They only transfer from the rock, not person-to-person." He put the rock in the container and sealed it. "We have to get Shawn to the TARDIS now." He heard the curator groan. "Gus, could you take the poor man to his office then join us?"

Amy helped Shawn stand and Juliet supported him on the other side. "C'mon, Shawn," Amy said softly.

Shawn looked at her with glazed eyes. "Amy?" Hw then swiveled his head like he couldn't fully control the movement. "Jules?"

"Yes, Shawn, I'm here."

Amy saw her grip Shawn's hand tighter.

"I don't feel so good."

"We'll get you to the TARDIS and the Doctor will cure you," Amy said with a zealot's conviction.

"'Course I will. I am the Doctor, after all."

Amy looked at him and the Doctor made a face that showed he wasn't all that confident in his ability to save Shawn. She couldn't let Shawn, Juliet, or even Gus know.

"What's happening?" mumbled the curator from behind them.

"One of your employees tried to rob you and may have poisoned a consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department," replied Lassiter.

"You didn't do a very thorough background check and now my best friend is dying," Gus said, upset.

"I didn't want to hurt Shawn," declared Chris.

"Of course you didn't," drawled Lassiter as he forced Chris up the stairs. "You just threw the rock knowing Spencer would catch it."

"I liked Shawn. He was always nice to me, He was cool."

"Do _not_ talk about him in the past tense. Shawn's not dead."

"He will be. There's nothing anyone can do to stop it."

Amy felt Shawn tense beside her at those words. "The Doctor can fix it," she told him. "He won't let anything happen if he can prevent it."

"I know," Shawn responded with a smile.

They split up when they reached the ground floor. Gus took the curator back to the affice after Lassiter told him to come to the station tomorrow "to give his statement". The way he said it made Amy feel like she was watching _Law and Order._ They continued on until Lassiter headed for the main entrance to hand Chris over to the other officers to take to the station. "I'll tell the Chief what happened. And Henry." Amy could tell he was not looking forward to that.

"Thanks, Carlton."

_Oh, boy. Shawn used his first name. He must really think he's gonna die._

The Head Detective nodded and left.

Amy and Juliet took Shawn into a side room and to the TARDIS. "What are we doing in here?" asked Juliet. "Shouldn't we be going to an office or something?"

"This is the or something," Amy responded.

Behind them Amy heard the Doctor juggling the items and then a snap. The door to the TARDIS opened and Juliet balked at the sight in front of her.

"Jules, it's fine." Shawn spoke softly, coaxing her. "It's overwhelming, but it's fine." He looked back over his shoulder. "The Doctor's a good guy."

"Thank you, Shawn." The Doctor moved ahead of them into the TARDIS. "Amy, you and Juliet take Shawn to the sickbay. I'll be there as soon as I get this secure."

Amy started them through the corridors. Juliet looked around at a loss for words. Shawn was ready to take advantage of the situation. "Look at this, sandwiched between two lovely ladies."

"One of whom is your girlfriend and carries a gun," Juliet remarked.

"C'mon, Jules. You know I'm not gonna ruin it now that we're finally together. Just give me a chance to revel in this." _I don't have much time left,_ was left unsaid.

They made it to the sickbay and the women eased Shawn onto the bed. He lay back on the raised pillows and closed his eyes. Juliet held his hand, rubbing it with her thumb. Amy headed for the door to give them a little privacy but the Doctor chose that moment to enter.

"Shawn, you with us?" he asked.

Shawn slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times to focus. "For now," he answered.

"Good. Now, I just need to figure out what exactly these little fellas are doing so I can stop them." He picked up a device from a counter and used it to scan Shawn. "Well, that's interesting."

"What's interesting?" Shawn asked, barely able to summon the energy. "Dying man here."

"Yes, right, of course. These little buggers aren't acting like I expected. You'd think they'd multiply and spread through the body, using you like a smorgasbord-"

"Great. I'm an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Juliet wiped a tear from Shawn's cheek.

"He said they're _not_ doing that," Amy said. "You're _not_ on the menu."

"Right." The Doctor agreed. "There's the main concentration in your hand, but then there are other small signatures in different areas, almost like they're exploring."

"Advance parties getting the lay of the land," commented Juliet.

The Doctor beamed. "Exactly like that. They won't expand unless they realize they're safe. They aren't just mindless parasites, but sentient creatures."

"So we just have ti introduce something into Shawn's system it won't like." Gus stood in the doorway holding another of the Doctor's small devices in his hand. "Thanks for this. I never would have found you."

"Gus?" Shawn called softly.

"Yeah, Shawn, I'm here." He moved to the opposite side of the bed from Juliet.

"Hey, buddy." He fumbled with his hand until he found Gus'. "Glad you could make it."

Amy looked at the scene unfolding in front of her. It was like something from one of those schmaltzy movies with someone on his deathbed, loved ones around him and the attending doctor. "You have to do it soon, Doctor. Shawn's wasting away. Those things may not be 'eating' him, but they're certainly training him."

"I know, I know. I just don't know what to use. Everything I think of could kill him."

"He's dying anyway," Amy hissed. "It doesn't really matter at this point."

The Doctor looked at Juliet, who nodded. Gus gave his approval with a simple look. "Okay, I think I might have just the thing."

He bustled about with chemicals, beakers and test tubes as he went on about what he was doing as if we understood. Gus seemed to follow for a bit, or maybe he just grasped the general idea. When he was done, he injected the solution into Shawn's right arm. "Now, we wait."


	15. Chapter 15

Shawn felt a warmth flow through his body. It was soothing and wonderful, like an internal tropical beach. Maybe if he drifted a little more he'd find some pineapples. The warmth soon increased to an inferno and he felt like he was lying on a griddle instead of a beach. His body jerked and convulsed until he tired himself out.

He slowly came to and felt a cool hand pressed to his face. He turned into it and slowly opened his eyes. The figure was fuzzy due to his tired eyes and the bright light behind it, but there was only one person it could be. "My angel," he croaked.

"Shawn?"

"Gus?" Shawn pulled away. "What are you doing?"

"Testing your temperature. I can't believe you thought I was Juliet."

"You have really soft hands, what was I supposed to think?" He looked about the room but no one else was there?"

"Where is Jules?"

"Outside checking with the station. We took turns watching you."

_They had to take shifts?_ "How long was I out?" His best friend hesitated. "Gus?"

"Twodays," he said in a rush.

"I was out for two days? What happened?"

"After the shot, you started having seizures and your temperature shot up to 105. We didn't know when you'd wake up."

The 'if' was left unsaid.

At that moment Amy ran into the room. "Shawn, you're awake!" She reached over the bed and hugged him.

"Leave off, Pond. You'll suffocate the man." The Doctor followed her in.

She pulled back, embarrassed.

"How're you feeling, Shawn?"

"Not bad, I guess, for being comatose for two days."

"Yes, it did take a while for the creatures to die." He looked a bit guilty. "I wish I could have gotten them into something else, to take them somewhere they could live." He brightened a little. "At least they weren't the last of their kind. At least, I think they weren't. Don't want to be responsible for that again," he added softly.

_He had killed off whole species? Now he sounds like the guy Alan and Jack had talked about._ "So I'm clear? They're gone?"

Juliet rushed into the room. "Oh, my God! Shawn!" She planted a big wet one on his lips.

_I ought to have a near-death experience more often!_

Jules ended the kiss. "Are you okay?" She searched his face.

"I was waiting to hear from the Doctor." He looked over at the man in question.

"Well, I _believe_ you're clear, but I think you should hang around until I'm positive."

"Wow, you almost sounded like a real doctor there," declared Amy.

"You're not a real doctor?" asked Jules.

"I have many doctorates in many fields," the Doctor responded, not sounding at all upset. He probably got asked that a lot. "There is someone I know who specializes in this kind of thing. I'd like Shawn to see him."

"You want to take him away? We just got him back."

"Jules, it's fine. The Doctor knows what he's doing." Shawn looked at the Doctor. "I can see my dad before we go?"

"Of course. I wouldn't deprive you of the opportunity."

Shawn pulled himself to the edge of the bed and waited until his body was used to being vertical before standing. Jules was there to help him on his noodle legs. Gus was on the other side. "Okay, ready."

The followed the Doctor and Amy to the console room. Shawn saw the difference in Jules' attitude towards the TARDIS. Maybe two days gave her the time to accept it.

Shawn exited the TARDIS to find they were in the parking lot of the SBPD. He grinned. The Doctor had anticipated his request.

"It's been here since we left the museum," Gus said.

"We knew this is where everyone would be," Jules added.

"In case I died," he stated.

"For when you got better," Amy said. "Not as long a walk for the invalid," she smiled.

In the station, Buzz was the first to see them and started clapping. It spread through the bullpen and the next thing he knew, Shawn was buried in a hug so fierce, his spine was rubbing against his belly-button.

"What were you thinking, kiddo?" His dad's voice was more worried than angry. "Lassiter told us everything."

"I guess I wasn't thinking." Shawn sat in Juliet's chair.

"If he hadn't caught the rock, the risk would have been multiplied," Gus defended him.

"Is that true?" the Chief asked the Doctor.

"Each piece of rock could have 'infected' whoever picked it up, so, yes, Shawn's action saved lives." The Doctor smiled benevolently, like a teacher praising a student.

"But he's cured now, right?" asked Henry, his hand still on Shawn's shoulder.

"Pretty much, yeah, but I'd like to take Shawn to see a specialist just to make sure. Shouldn't be more than a few days."

Shawn could feel everyone looking at him, wondering if he'd stay in touch. "I'll call, I promise," he said in a voice that had a bit more whine to it than he liked.

"I'll make sure he does," Amy stated, arms crossed which made her look like a stern babysitter. "I'm used to it," she said with a nod in the Doctor's direction.

"A job well done, Shawn," said the Chief with a rare use of his first name. "Now you go get yourself healthy so you can help us again."

"Sure thing, Chief. Thanks."

"Spencer," Lassiter held out his hand. "Above average," he said with a quirk of his lips.

Shawn knew this was the highest praise he'd get from Lassie in public. "Thanks, Lassifrass. I'll try harder next time."

"Don't do anything else stupid, okay?" It was his dad's way of saying take care without being mushy.

"I've already used up my quota for the month," Shawn replied with a smile as he clapped his hand on his dad's shoulder.

"Okay, then." Henry walked to the door with them. "Take care of him," he said to the Doctor. "He's not much, but he's all I've got."

"Gee, thanks, Dad."

"Don't worry, Henry. I'll keep an eye on him," the Doctor assured him.

Henry accepted his assurances and went back to his desk.

Gus and Jules walked with them back to the TARDIS. "I'll take care of the office while you're gone," Gus said.

"It's only gonna be a few days, buddy. It's not like I'm leaving town again."

"Yeah, but this is how I have to treat it. Don't forget to call."

"I know." They shared a fist bump.

He took a chance to pull Jules away from the others so they could have a semi-private goodbye. "Do you really have to go?' she asked, a finger tracing a line along his cheek.

"We just have to make sure that I won't have a relapse," Shawn consoled. "I don't know how long I'll be, but I will call, I promise. I don't want Amy to beat me up," he added with a grin.

"I heard that!" the girl shouted.

"You take care," Jules said. "I love you." She kissed him gently.

"I love you, too."

Shawn entered the TARDIS and stood back by the rail as the Doctor worked on the console, reaching across the panels. "Why so glum?" the Doctor asked. "You should be excited."

"Not a big fan of needles."

"Why are you worried about needles?" Amy questioned.

"You said you were taking me to see a specialist and I thought that meant needles and tests."

"Shawn, _I_ am the specialist. For someone supposedly hyper-observant, you didn't see that one. I knew you wanted a trip in the TARDIS, so I gave you a reason and you didn't have to lie."

"So, you've basically kidnapped me."

"It's a habit I'm trying hard to break. So, where to?"

_I'm going for a ride in a time machine, an honest-to-God time machine! Jeffrey Jones, eat your heart out!_ "Anywhere," he answered with a huge smile.


End file.
